Roller-bearing cage.



C. A. HJIRTH,-

ROLLER BEARING CAGE.

APPLICATION FILYED APR.30, 1912.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916;

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- Amwa UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

CARL AIQBERT HIRTH, OF CANNSTATT, N

EAR STUTTGABT, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO NORMA COMPAGNIE G. M. B. H., OFCANNSTATT-STUTTGART, GERMANY.

ROLLEBABEARING CAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2!). 1916.

Appllcatloa tiled Apr-i130, 1812. Serial No. 694,048.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, Cant. Amnn'r Hm'rn, a'citizen of the (ierman Empire,residing in Cannstatt, near Stuttgart, in said En pire of Germany, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Roller-Bearing Cages, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved roller-bearing cage in which therollers are held in pockets or pairs of checks which are punched bymeans of dies from a ringshaped blank and then bent into shape forretaining the rollers.

The improved cage is differentiated from cages heretofore in use in thatthe checks which retain the rollers project toward the inside of thering shaped body and are. so formed that they permit by theirspringaotion the-insertion and removal of the rollers, but embrace therollers loosely when inserted in such a manner that they cannot drop outof themselves but form with the cage a complete and conveniently handledstructure.

This new form of rolleabearing cage is of considerable importance, as itcan be easily manufactured and placed with great facility on the shafton which they have to be mounted. For this purpose the cage is so madethat it is not closed entirely like a solid ring but open at one pointso that the cage can be bent outwardly sufficientlv to bring it over theshaft, so that the shaft is located in its open portion, and that thering springs afterward into closed position. The fact that the rollerretaining cheeks project toward the inside of the ring facilitate theintroduction of the rollers into the cage-ring when spread into openposition and secures the rollers in their proper position when it hassprung back into its closed position. The cage is furthermorecontra-distinguished from other forms of cages in which the retainingcheeks project in outward direction and which even if they prevent thedropping of the rollers from the retaining cheeks by the spreading apartof the ring require a sufficient space between the retainers so that therollers in the closed position of the ring cannot drop from the same. orthat they would be bent out of shape by the first spreading apart of thecage and rollers in such a manner that they would, when the ring isclosed, not be able to retain the rollers.

One form of the improved roller-bearing cage is shown in theaccompanying drawixws, in which- Figure 1 represents a side-elevation,Fig. 2 a vertical longitudinal section on line 2-2, Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 avertical transverse section on line 3-3, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout theseveral figures of the drawings.

The cage consists essentially of a flat ring I) which can be spreadoutwardly into an open position at one point of its circumference,namely at a and which is provided with rectangular openings 0 in itscircumference, the transverse edges of which are bent inwardly so as toform cheeks (Z which are slightly curved toward the interior of the ringso as to secure the rollers 0 against dropping out of the cage withoutoffering any resistance. to the motion of the same when they are in use.The chcelts (I? extend only to such an extent around the rollers as tojust prevent them from dropping out of the same even when the ring isspread apart sufliciently at its opening a that it can be passed overthe shaft on which the cage is to be placed. Against the axial shiftingof the ring, the rollers are held by the side-rims f of the rectangularopenings.

The ring I) is made of feathering sheet metal so that it will returninto its initial position after being spread apart. It is advisable,however, to increase its stiffness by means of bent-over flanges g atits circumference. which flanges may project toward the inside or towardthe outside of the ring, as desired.

The manufacture of the cage is best accomplished in such a manner thatfirst. a band-shaped strip of a suitable ductile and elastic metal isout out by means of dies with openings of rectangular shape whose wallsare bent up toward each other and slightly curved. A strip correspondingin len th to the circumference of the shaft on which the roller-lwaringis to be used is then cut offend bent into an open ring with abuttingends. The circumferential flanges g are bent up simultaneously with thebending of the strip into circular shape.

I claim:

1. A. roller-bearing cage, comprising a one-piece spring-like bodyformed into a ring with its ends normally abutting, and holders bent upinwardly from incisioned portions in the body so as to form springlikecheeks bent inwardly into shape conforming to the rontour of therollers, the spring-like cheeks engaging the rollers at a peripheralpart thereof at the outer side of their axes, and extending. inwardlyfrom that point of engagement along the periph eral portion of therollers to a point on the peripheral portion, at the inner side of theiraxes. and in proximity to the axes thereof, for embracing the samesufficiently to prevent the rollers from dropping out in inward oroutward direction during the spreading of the spring-like body from normal position and its return thereto.

2. A roller-hearing cage, consisting of a one-piece spring-like bodyformed into a ring with the ends normally abutting, and holders bent upfrom the ring-shaped body inwardly from inrisioned portions in the body,so as to form spring-like cheeks, for retaining the rollers and curvedto the shape of the rollers therebetween for embracing the samesufficiently to prevent the rollers from dropping out during thespreading of the spring-like body from normal position and its returnthereto, the spring-like cheeks engaging the rollers at their peripheralportion outside of their axes and extending inwardly from that portionto a point at the inside of their axes, and the spring-like body havingrectangular openings for a portion of the rollers to pass therethrough.

A roller-bearing cage, comprising a one-piece spring-like body formedinto a ring with the ends normally abutting having holders bent upinwardly from incisioned portions in the body so as to form spring-likecheeks bent into shape for retaining the rollers and curved to the shapeof the rollers retained therebetween for embracing, the samesutiiciently to prevent the rollers from dropping out during thespreading of the spring-like body from normal position and its returnthereto, the spring-like cheeksengaging the rollers at their periph eralportion outside of their axes, and extending inwardly from that portionto a point at the inside of their axes, and flanges along the ends ofthe ring-shaped body.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, 1 have signedmy name in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

CAR-L ALBERT HIRTH.

Witnesses:

PAULINE KLAIBER, FRIDA KLAIBER.

